Parenting for Liberation

On this episode, Trina speaks with Shamiesha Ebhotemen, Founder and Executive Director of HERstory Inc, an organization that is comprised of Doulas, Nurses, Lactation Consultants, Midwives, Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners, Therapists, and Social Workers who provide maternal and family health education and birthing services to create stress-free pregnancy before and postpartum for the mother and family. Their mission is to provide a safe space for pregnant and postpartum BIPOC families to learn, create community, and thrive. Shamiesha is a registered nurse, certified lactation educator, and owner of NURSEMilk LLC, where her mission is to educate, advocate, and empower families throughout their breastfeeding journey.

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On this episode, Trina speaks with professional lactation consultant Lydia O. Boyd. Lydia is an experienced breastfeeding mother who specializes in supporting families who are expecting or currently breastfeeding. She holds multiple certifications, including International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Certified Blactation Educator-Expert, Certified Lactation Educator, Breastfeeding Peer Counselor, and Doula. Lydia is also the co-founder and faculty of The B.L.A.C.K. Course, the full-scope lactation and breastfeeding education course made by and for Black People and folks supporting Black breastfeeding families. 

With years of experience in supporting birthing and breastfeeding families, she has gained a wealth of knowledge and expertise in this field.  As a consultant, Lydia provides a safe space for families to discuss their concerns and questions about breastfeeding and birth. She offers technical and relevant information and education, ensuring that families receive the best support possible. Lydia's ultimate goal is to accompany families on their journey of birthing and feeding their "genius" babies with the best milk available. 

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For part 4 of the Black Parent Innovation Lab Mini Series, Trina speaks with Ashley Karell to discuss her innovation, Nature Time. Ashley Karell is an Oakland based lover of music, being in the water, and being a mother to her 13-year-old child. Ashley has been teaching young children in a variety of indoor and outdoor learning environments for over 15 years, with this 2022-2023 school year being her 8th year as a forest school teacher in the Bay Area. 

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For part 3 of the Black Parent Innovation Lab Mini Series,

Trina speaks with Barbara Lawson to discuss her innovation, The Dandelion Project. Barbara is a self-taught artist and gardener as well as founder of the healing plant nursery, Meet Me In the Dirt.  She believes that creativity combined with connection to self first, then others, will pave the way towards healing and change. She began painting and gardening as a way to tap into a deeper understanding of her journey. As life unfolded in and around her, grief surrounding the loss of her mother left a deep sadness in her heart that was unbearable. She sought the aid of a counselor to help sort through her pain and simultaneously began building her own healing garden. Barbara infuses the gift of encouragement into each piece she creates with flowers and natural accents in an effort to create space for others to celebrate their own uniqueness in this life.

For part 2 of the Black Parent Innovation Lab Mini Series, Trina speaks with Nadirah Adeye and discusses her innovation, The Me Bank. Nadirah is a mother, writer, storyteller, funny bone tweaker and committed devotee of conscious parenting and partnership. She has worked and served in conscious and spiritual organizations throughout the California Bay Area, in fields ranging from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to public ceremony and ritual.
Nadirah is also a sacred sensualist and the founder of the Green Purse Society, teaching clients to heal their resource wounds and to transform their relationship with money from one of stress and anxiety to confidence and empowered pleasure. 

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On this episode, Trina speaks with author and life coach Kwamane Harris about addressing our intergenerational trauma and the necessity of our healing journey as parents in order to empower our children and future generations while we continue to fight against oppression in our communities.

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On this episode, Trina speaks with Dr. Decoteau Irby and discusses what it means to achieve racial equity in schools and how parents can support their children and support themselves as they advocate for their children. Decoteau’s life work focuses on creating and sustaining organizations that contribute to Black people’s self-determined well-being, development, and positive life outcomes. He is an Associate Professor at University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Educational Policy Studies. He is the author of Stuck Improving: Racial Equity and School Leadership (Harvard Education Press) and the picture book Magical Black Tears: A Protest Story (Derute Consulting Cooperative).

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On this episode, Trina speaks with author and non-violent parenting educator Krischa Esquivel. Krischa Esquivel has worked in the field of early education for 25 years in a variety of capacities, including training and technical assistance, curriculum development, safe environments for early education settings, and various state and federal grants. She is sought after for her work and training on non-traditional parenting and has worked with the California Community College Consortium to publish a college textbook on diversity and inclusion for all early care and education students to access for free upon enrollment in any California junior college. Krischa has been a featured speaker at a local TEDx production on the topic “Treating Our Children Better” and is the Vice Chair for Plaza de la Raza’s Board of Directors.  Krischa’s driving force and deep advocacy for children is grounded in her most important role as the mother of 2 teenagers.

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On this episode, Trina speaks with Nichelle Nelson founder of Warp & Weft History, which offers virtual history and government classes for homeschooled teens. Nichelle Nelson is a veteran homeschool mom with 25 years of experience. She and her husband successfully homeschooled three of their children from birth to Baylor University and beyond. Nichelle holds a BA in History from Huston-Tillotson University and MS Ed in Multicultural Studies with an emphasis in Social Justice from the University of Houston - Clear Lake.

On this episode of Parenting for Liberation, Trina speaks with Nia Eubanks-Dixon, the founder and creator of Creative Praxis, an art-based, healing-centered, training organization for youth, educators, and community members working towards liberation. Nia is a therapeutic restorative community artist, international trainer, and mother of two. It’s back to school time, so Trina and Nia discuss ways we can help our children understand boundaries, advocate for themselves in educational spaces, as well helping kids create their own safe spaces at home.

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There is a current epidemic of Black children dying by suicide. Suicide attempts rose by 73% between 1991-2017 for Black adolescents. The suicide rate among those younger than 13 years is approximately 2 times higher for black children compared with White children. These numbers are shocking but what do they reveal about the current mental health of our young people? What does the research indicate? How do we address this issue in our own families? How do we tackle this crisis as a community? Trina sits down with psychologist and researcher, Dr. Rhonda Boyd.

Dr. Rhonda Boyd is a psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her research focuses on depression among youth and perinatal women. She has a line of research examining maternal depression among women of color and their children and developing preventive interventions aimed at these families. She also conducts research on risk and protective factors among youth, especially Black adolescents, with a recent focus on understanding youth depression and suicidal ideation and behaviors. Dr. Boyd also served on the Congressional Black Caucus’s Emergency TaskForce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health who released the report, Ring the Alarm The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America.

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

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Trina speaks with Natasha Nelson, a Certified Positive Discipline Educator (CPDE) and stay-at-home mother to two autistic Black girls, about positive discipline and how we can best support our neurodivergent children. The mission of Supernova Momma is to help Black and Neurodiverse people break generational curses from systemic racism and ableism. Listen in as they discuss what neurodiversity means and how it shows up in Black families, applying a Black-lens to positive discipline, making connections between neurodiversity and systems of oppressions & trauma, and connecting our children and families to resources for healthy coping and development.

Trina speaks with sex educator and reproductive justice activist Brittany Braithwaite to discuss how parents can talk to their kids about sex, bodily autonomy, and going beyond consent. They also discuss the latest threats to reproductive justice and how it impacts Black families. 

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As we close out Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we speak with long-time friend and partner, Kandee Lewis, to discuss domestic violence in the Black community. 

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Trina Greene Brown talks with Claudia Walker, author of The ABCs of HBCUs, about the legacy and impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

In this episode, we talk to Loira Limbal, Afro-Latinx filmmaker & DJ, about her feature documentary “Through the Night" about a 24 hour daycare center. We talk about the beautiful ways that Black and Brown mothers and caregivers support each other and the current challenges facing working class mothers and caregivers during the pandemic. We also reflect on the question raised by the documentary, “Who Cares for the Caregiver?” and discuss connections between caregiving and liberated parenting.

Trina is interviewed by Sara Gallagher of Fierce Womxn Writing about being writer and publishing her new book "Parenting for Liberation: A Guide for Raising Black Children." Learn more about Trina's writing experience and a prompt for you to reflect in writing. 

At PACT camp, I presented a workshop on white privilege for adoptive parents of black children. 

I was invited to speak at PACT family camp by Malaika Parker, an African American adoptive parent, who works to support the adoptive parents of color who are connected with PACT Adopt. While I was excited to support the nearly 150 Black children who attend the camp, when I found out that 75% of the parents who come to Pact Family Camp have adopted transracially--meaning the parents are white, I was uneasy about it. I had read the many articles on the disproportionate number of Black children fosterees and adoptees, and also about the challenges/problems of Black children being adopted by white folks (article links below); however, I decided to show up for Black children. In a commitment to their liberation, I worked with 125 white adoptive parents on how to risk their white privilege and challenge white supremacy, for all children of color.

“Confronting chronic emotional pain in Black life is the terrain of political resistance we must now explore, the new revolutionary frontier—” -bell hooks 

On this podcast, we celebrate National Mental Health Awareness Week! In this podcast we talk to Mattice Haynes and discuss our participation and learnings from BEAM’s Black Mental Health and Healing Justice training in Summer 2018 and through storytelling explore the role of healing in Parenting for Liberation. When emotions rise on the call, we lean into them, and practice breathing together. Much gratitude for authentic vulnerability.